Caught Barehanded is an American wildlife documentary special produced by Michael Hoff Productions for National Geographic Channel in which dedicated catfish wranglers, shark wrestlers and carp catchers test their strength and endurance to the limit as they attempt to catch fish using nothing but their bare hands.
It originally aired in the USA on National Geographic Channel in November 2007. It is an hour long.
Caught Barehanded premiered in South Africa on DStv's Nat Geo Wild channel on Tuesday 3 June 2008, at 21h00.
Repeats
Wednesday 4 June: 00h00, 03h00
Friday 6 June: 22h00
Saturday 7 June: 01h00
Sunday 8 June: 04h00, 21h00
Monday 9 June: 01h00
Tuesday 10 June: 03h00, 10h00, 16h00
Friday 13 June: 11h00, 17h00
Saturday 14 June: 12h00
Synopsis
Catfish grabblin'...shark wrangling...flying-fish fighting...and wrestling beasts by the boatload...since man's roamed the earth, he's fished for food, sport, and survival.
For most, the tools are rod and reel, spear and net. But for some, it's personal. For them, handfishing's the toughest test of strength and endurance. Dedicated and determined, they carry on traditions old and new.
Showdowns with powerful predators...intense competitions for sport and food...and mad melees of man vs. fish. All for the extraordinary thrill of fishing adventures Caught Barehanded.
Paul's Valley, Oklahoma. Noodling. Tickling. Grabblin' or hoggin'. Whatever you call it, it's catfish wrangling.
Diving into hidden lairs, holding your breath. Battered, bloody, and bitten raw. To catch whopper fish, obsessed anglers use extraordinary bait. Their own bodies. Nothing more than fingers...hands...even whole arms.
And for one of the world's oddest sports, this is the Olympics. The annual “Okie Noodling” contest.
In this tough competition, four rivals rule. Don Brewer, a diehard noodler with passion...and a high-tech edge. Gary Webb and Jim Anderson, two Missouri grabblers on a mission. And Lee McFarlin, a local legend with noodling in his blood.
As we follow these noodling competitors, we'll take a look at other extreme fishing adventures around the world.
New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Here, fish-wrangling's a life-threatening test on manhood...where boys lure deadly predators to become shark callers. It's a ritual that requires training and preparation.
And in these teeming waters, a caller might find himself face-to-face with a giant reef shark or a half-ton mako. But as global economies threaten native cultures, shark calling may soon become the stuff of legends.
Bath, Illinois. One dangerous species defies the laws of gravity...and threatens an ecosystem. But when Asian carp invade, anglers fight back.
Using nets and their bare hands, fishermen try to snag as many flying, flipping fish as possible...without getting clobbered. But these flying fish tell a cautionary tale. However we fight their dangerous spread, invasive species pose a constant threat. And turn nature's calm into chaos.
Sardinia, Italy. Sardinian tuna fishing's a treasured heritage. A tradition unbroken since the Roman Empire. And no man can handfish the mighty bluefin tuna alone. It takes a tuna-fishing clan called a tonnara.
Each spring, they drop miles of hand-woven nets into the sea to create “the chamber of death.” Once the fish are trapped, the men jump into the water and wrestle the behemoths on board...relying only on brute strength.
San Pedro, California. Silvery, small, and slippery, grunion fish participate in one of the strangest mating rituals on earth. Like clockwork, thousands of them mate by the light of a full or new moon...but they do it out of the water.
For the crowd gathered tonight, the strategy is simple. Run and grab as many exposed fish as possible before they retreat back into the water.
Scientists hope these harmless handfishing runs increase awareness of the species...and help save it from extinction.
It's one thing to catch flopping fish barehanded. It's something else entirely when it's part of a cutthroat competition. Each year, more sign up to compete for the Okie Noodling trophy. And it all comes down to a battle against a monster.
As America's top catfish noodlers vie for the ultimate victory, it's no pain, no gain. They track, stalk, and haul up river goliath, doing battle...with bare flesh. In the final showdown, who will come out with the grabbling glory?
It's the world's most extreme encounters of man vs. fish...Caught Barehanded.